Jaya Prada, born Lalita Rani on April 3, 1962, is a celebrated Indian actress and politician known for her significant contributions to Telugu and Hindi cinema. Her career, spanning the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, includes roles in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi films. Jaya Prada has received three Filmfare Awards South and has starred in approximately 300 films throughout her 30-year film career.
Before entering the film industry, Jaya Prada trained in classical dance and music. She was only 14 years old when she was offered a three-minute musical number in the Telugu film Bhoomi Kosam (1976) after a film director and producer, K.B. Tilak, noticed her performance at school. This small role opened doors for her, leading to leading roles in several major films. In 1976, she became a major star, showcasing her versatility in K. Balachander's Anthuleni Katha, K. Viswanath's Siri Siri Muvva, where she played a mute character with excellent dancing skills, and in the mythological film Seetha Kalyanam. Adavi Ramudu (1977) further cemented her star status.
Jaya Prada's success in Telugu cinema led to opportunities in other regional film industries. K. Viswanath introduced her to Bollywood with Sargam (1979), a remake of Siri Siri Muvva. Although the film was a success, Jaya Prada initially struggled in Bollywood because she didn't speak Hindi. She later returned to Hindi cinema with Kaamchor (1982), where she spoke Hindi fluently. She earned Filmfare nominations for her roles in Sharaabi (1984) and Sanjog (1985). Jaya Prada also formed successful on-screen partnerships with actors such as Amitabh Bachchan and Jeetendra, as well as a notable collaboration with her contemporary, Sridevi.
Reportedly, during the filming of the 1980 film Chambal Ki Kassam, actor Raaj Kumar jokingly suggested filming a bathing scene with Moushumi Chatterjee in a river. However, Chatterjee wittily declined, saying that she didn't know how to swim and quipping that Raaj Kumar would be more concerned about saving his wig if it fell off in the water.
In 1994, Jaya Prada transitioned from acting to politics, joining the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) at the invitation of its founder, N.T. Rama Rao. She quickly rose through the ranks and was offered a seat by Rao, though she initially chose to campaign rather than run for election. After differences arose with N. Chandrababu Naidu, she joined the Samajwadi Party (SP). Jaya Prada was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rampur in 2004 and re-elected in 2009. In 2009, during her Lok Sabha campaign, she was issued a notice by the Election Commission for violating the code of conduct.
After supporting Amar Singh, she was expelled from the Samajwadi Party in 2010. In 2011, Amar Singh and Jaya Prada formed their own political party, Rashtriya Lok Manch, but it did not achieve electoral success. She later joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in 2014 and contested the Bijnor Lok Sabha seat but lost. In 2019, Jaya Prada joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She has also expressed interest in returning to Telugu states politics.
Throughout her career, Jaya Prada has received numerous awards and honors, including the Ugadi Puraskaram from the Government of Andhra Pradesh. In 2019, she was appointed as a director of Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel.
